Everlasting Darkness
by Anjel and Destiny
Summary: As the darkness begins to seep through the walls of reality, The Doctor unexpectedly finds himself alone on Bad Wolf Bay. Meanwhile, former companions Martha and Jack are the only ones left who can help prevent the Titanic from falling to Earth...
1. Chapter 1

**One**

"So this is me getting out," said Martha simply. She knew now that the Doctor finally understood.

She reached inside her jacket pocket and clasped her slender fingers around her mobile phone. "Keep that," she smiled, tossing it to him, "'cause I'm not having you disappear! If that rings... _when_ that rings, you better come running... got it?"

"Got it."

"I'll see you again mister!" grinned Martha, making her way towards the Tardis door.

She turned her dark head for one last glimpse of the Time Lord and her heart skipped a beat when she saw his handsome face beaming back at her; but only a second later did it register on the Doctor's face that there was something terribly wrong.

It seemed as though his eyes were about to protrude from his skull, his mouth had gasped open and all colours had been drained from his face. His legs gave way, and the phone he had been clutching tightly in his hand fell to the floor with a loud clang.

Martha darted to the Doctor's aid, her heart pounding inside of her chest as she desperately tried to force him into a lying position. "Doctor! Doctor, can you hear me?"

The Doctor's eyes found Martha's. For a fraction of a second they gazed at one another helplessly. And then his eyes lost focus. His body became limp and still, and the devastated cry that escaped Martha's lips went unheard, save but one.

* * *

When the Doctor opened his eyes sometime later, he found himself lying face down on a deserted beach. The sand was moist and icy cold and the waves were roaring in the distance behind him. It took him a moment to register his surroundings as he got to his feet, brushing the damp sand from his clothes.

_"Doctor."_

"Martha?" He turned suddenly on the spot. He thought he had heard her voice calling to him but must have been mistaken for he soon came to realise that he was very much alone on this beach.

"But how did I get here?" he asked himself, turning his head in all directions. There was no sign of the Tardis or Martha anywhere and, as his hopes sunk even lower, he remembered he had left his overcoat onboard the Tardis, his sonic screwdriver tucked away inside one of the pockets. There wasn't any point in panicking, he told himself. He just needed to establish where he was and how he had gotten here, but he wasn't going to be able to do that unless he found himself some help first.

He decided it best to figure out his location by making his way towards a wooden sign in the distance, leaving behind a trail of faint footsteps in his wake. Yet as the Doctor strolled along the sand, certain thoughts of a young woman with windswept blonde hair and teary eyes began to plague his head and made him feel as though he was being forced to confront inner demons he had long ago lost.

_"… Here you are, living a life, day after day. The one adventure I can never have."_

"_Am I ever going to see you again?"_

It had hurt the Doctor to his very core hearing such sadness in her voice, knowing that there was nothing he could do, or say, to stop the tears from cascading down her cheeks.

_"You can't."_

And even now, after all this time, he could still picture her beautiful face clear as day. He could still see her warm brown eyes and loving smile; and no matter how far the Doctor travelled across time and space, he could never truly escape the sweet sound of her voice echoing inside his head, nor would he want to.

With a heavy heart, and distinct lack of motivation, the Doctor stood before the sign protruding from the cold sand, and slowly averted his eyes to the words that had been scrawled across the wooden surface. He gasped.

"…_Darlig Ulv Straden... It's Norwegian for bad. This translates as Bad Wolf Bay!"_

"Can't be!" breathed the Doctor, the colour once more draining from his face. "This is impossible… this is physically impossible!" He turned his head and gazed back at the ocean, at the waves splashing violently against the rocks.

_"Can't you come through properly?"_

"_The whole thing would fracture... two universes would collapse."_

_"So."_

"I shouldn't be here!" yelled The Doctor suddenly, running his fingers through his hair, "I _can't_ be here!"

* * *

"M'am, we have the Doctor's location."

"Where is he?" beamed Rose Tyler, her eyes gleaming.

"According to this he appears to be in Norway."

"Norway?" said Rose, slightly taken aback. Then it clicked. "Bad Wolf Bay," she whispered, more to herself than anyone. Was it really that simple? "Right. Lock me onto the Doctor."

"But M'am, we haven't yet been granted full authorization! The teleport base code still needs time to - "

"You don't understand!" retorted Rose, "I'm so close to finding him and I'm not giving up now!"

A third voice suddenly joined in the conversation.

"That'll be _him_ then? The Doctor?" asked Pete Tyler, surveying his daughter carefully. He could see the determination and desire burning away in her eyes as she nodded her head.

"We need to find him Dad! He's the only one that can stop the darkness from ever happening! Without him, each and every dimension is going to collapse until the whole of reality is destroyed… we need the Doctor, now more than ever!"

"She's right," said Pete. "We haven't got time to run equipment checks! The time devices are compatible with this world on a ninety percent basis. Now get to it! That's an order!"

"Yes sir!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

An eerie silence had crept over the Tardis. Without the life and soul of the Doctor, everything about the place seemed unnerving and still, shrouded in mistrust and suspicion. It didn't help ease Martha's doubts at all as she rocked the Doctor gently in her arms, allowing the tears to fall freely from her eyes.

She was at a complete loss. How could the Doctor, the most remarkable man she had ever met in her entire life, just seemingly give up now? His heartbeats were almost too faint to distinguish, and just as Martha's spirits began to sink even lower, things took a shocking turn for the worse.

As the sound of a deafening horn rung out, the Tardis wall was horrifically ripped apart by what appeared to be a huge ship. Martha screamed as a wave of rubble and dust blasted over the control room, and she tried to shelter the Doctor with her body as best she could until everything had settled down. After a moment or so, she reluctantly raised her head, and her jaw dropped in sheer horror at the sight that lay before her: the Tardis control room had been completely and utterly destroyed by the Titanic.

With her heart hammering, she frantically began dragging the Doctor away from the vessel, stepping on something unusual as she did so. Martha quickly gazed down at the floor and realized it was her mobile phone, the very same one she had given the Doctor to keep not ten minutes earlier. Breathing a sigh of relief, she reached down and seized it, dialling the one number she knew would guarantee her some help.

* * *

Captain Jack Harkness felt his phone chirp from inside his coat pocket. "Martha Jones! Missing me already? I've only been gone, oh, seven minutes, twenty three seconds to be exact," said Jack, cheerfully, checking his watch.

"Jack!" cried Martha, "it's the Doctor! There's something wrong."

"Ok, slow down," said Jack, a little confused, "where are you?"

Jack listened carefully to Martha's story; while his eyes were solely fixated on the one place he desired to be more than any other. He was so close to returning to Torchwood headquarters, to his team. He gazed at it hungrily.

"I'll be right there."

* * *

"_There's still a Torchwood on this planet, it's open for business. Think I know a thing or two about aliens?"_

"_Rose Tyler - defender of the Earth!" _

The Doctor sat watching the waves roll on and off the shore, lost in his thoughts. Ever since she had been taken away from him, he had not stopped running. Travelling the stars was all he could do to escape the misery he felt whenever he was left alone. And now, without the Tardis, the Doctor found he could no longer run.

"_I love you."_

"_Quite right to! And I suppose, if it's my last chance to say it… Rose Tyler…"_

"Doctor!"

Somebody was calling his name. The Doctor looked round in confusion, quickly getting to his feet. "No…" he muttered under his breath, his heartbeats increasing rapidly, "no…"

A young woman with windswept blonde hair was standing not a hundred yards from him. The Doctor's legs had turned to lead; he was too shaken to move. Yet she was running towards him, and suddenly he found himself sprinting, as fast as his legs would allow, towards her.

She was getting closer. The Doctor could see her beautiful smile. They were less than ten yards away from each other. He extended his arms for her to run into, but from the second he was able to touch her, he found himself desperatley gasping for air. Covered in dust and debris, and blinded by harsh lighting, the Doctor found himself back onboard the Tardis.


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

It had happened to her again. Rose Tyler, _the lost girl_, stood alone in all her frustration, angrily wiping away her tears. She was without the Doctor again.

Her blonde hair whipped violently around her face as she glared at the vast ocean before her; rippling away under the dull, grey sky. She had been so close, so unbelievably close, and the feeling of disappointment that ensued the Doctor's abrupt departure was tremendous. Yet she wasn't about to give up hope now. Having seen that radiant smile of his again, and that twinkle in his eyes, Rose was now more determined than ever to find him; and not just for her sake, but for the sake of the whole of reality as well.

"Control, I need another shift. Lock me onto Torchwood."

And with that, she vanished in a dazzling ball of blue light.

* * *

The Doctor's body instantly sprang back to life. He leapt to his feet and dashed towards the control panel of the Tardis: proceeding to alter the controls of his ship. Surprisingly, the sight of a huge vessel, having collided with his own, didn't seem to trouble the Doctor at all, and within a matter of seconds, having pushed the right buttons and pulled the right levers, the Titanic withdrew itself altogether, and the walls of the Tardis repaired themselves; good as new. Martha and Jack could only look on in amazement.

And then, after everything had fallen back into place, the Doctor surveyed his companions with eyes of steel.

"Doctor?" asked Martha, timidly, "are you alright?"

The Doctor didn't respond. Thoughts of Rose were still swimming around in his mind and heart. He swallowed, and then began to nod his head. "Yeah… yeah, course. Always."

Martha and Jack exchanged troubled glances.

"But what happened? I mean… you just sort of keeled over?"

The Doctor didn't seem to be listening. "Right!" He bellowed suddenly, pulling yet another lever, "all on board!"

The Tardis was swiftly in flight, leaving its current location on Earth, and reappearing in an isolated storeroom onboard the Titanic itself.

The trio left the sanctuary of the Tardis, crossed the small space towards a wooden door, and let themselves into a large, populated room, where the sounds of violins and laugher instantly became audible. The room was bristling with people, all elegantly dressed, all talking amongst themselves, sipping on glasses of champagne, or otherwise admiring the view from outside the ships windows. There were holly wreathes decorating every door, and as each of them recognised the music playing to be Jingle Bells, they realised it must be Christmas.

Martha beamed at her new surroundings, and sauntered over towards a golden, life-sized statue of an angel dressed in white robes for a closer inspection. Jack, on the other hand, was more interested in the Doctor.

"Are you going to tell me what happened back there?"

"It was an accident. The Tardis' defences were down, bumped into the Titanic, and here we are."

"I meant the other thing."

The Doctor gave Jack a dark look and walked away towards one of the ships largest windows. He gazed out through the glass and immediately realised that they were not in fact onboard the real Titanic. He was however, gazing down at planet Earth.

"_Attention all passengers, the Titanic is now in orbit above Sol three, also known as Earth. Population Human. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Christmas!" _

* * *

Jacqueline Tyler, with her blonde hair in curlers and her feet relaxing in a hot tub of water, sat watching a huge plasma television in the hefty sized living room of her home. The baby monitor was resting on the arm of the leather couch beside her as she chuckled to herself out loud, her eyes glued to the screen.

Just then, somewhere out in the hallway, a door was opened and slammed shut immediately afterwards.

"Oi!" Jackie screeched, "it took me blinking ages to get Tony asleep, you better not go waking him up again Pete!"

But it was Rose who emerged in the doorway. "Sorry mum," she said quietly.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?" asked Jackie, turning the television off with the remote, "did you find him? Is the Doctor here? Is he with you?"

Rose shook her head, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.

"Oh sweetheart, come here," said Jackie softly, gesturing her daughter to sit down.

"It's ok, I'm alright!" said Rose, forcing a laugh as she wiped her eyes. "I came so close today, mum! I saw him! I saw the Doctor!"

Jackie smiled enthusiastically at her daughter's words, listening eagerly as she recited her brief encounter with the Time Lord, and just when Rose had finished talking, her mobile phone began to ring, as if right on schedule.

"Hello?"

"Rose," said Pete Tyler, "listen, I need you to come back to base. We've found him again sweetheart!"

* * *

_Sleigh bells ring  
Are you listening  
In the lane  
Snow is glistening  
A beautiful sight  
We're happy tonight  
Walking in a winter wonderland_

"Care to dance Miss Jones?" asked Jack, seizing Martha by the hand and kissing it lightly. He pulled her into his arms as she giggled, "don't have much choice, do I?"

As the pair disappeared amongst the hustle and bustle of the crowd, the Doctor decided to explore the rest of the room alone, admiring the decorations and other passengers. An attractive waitress with blonde hair and startling red lips smiled at him as she walked passed, carrying a silver tray of drinks. He grinned back momentarily, but then an image of Rose sprung to the forefront of his mind. He could remember holding her hand while gazing up at the stars, watching as the snow slowly drifted down from the night sky, telling her that their time together would simply be fantastic.

He walked on and eventually came to a halt in front of a golden angel.

"Evening!" said the Doctor brightly, "Passenger 57. Terrible memory, remind me, uh, you'd be?"

The angel opened its mouth at once. "Information. Heavenly host supplying tourist information," it said in a robotic voice.

"Good!" said the Doctor. "So! Tell me again, 'cause I'm an idiot, where are we from?"

"Information. The Titanic is on board from the planet Sto, in the Casavalian Belt. The purpose of the cruise is to experience primitive cultures."

"Titanic, um, " questioned the Doctor, "who thought of the name?"

"Information. It was chosen as the most famous vessel of the planet Earth."

"Did they tell you why it was famous?"

"Information. All designations are chosen by Mister Max Capricorn, president of -" Suddenly the angel began to falter, repeating the name 'Max' in various robotic voices, its head twitching. The Doctor slowly backed away as a member of crew approached the angel and managed to switch it off. "Software problem, that's all," he laughed, "leave it with us sir. Merry Christmas!"

The Doctor smiled and walked away.

"_Attention please, shore leave tickets red six seven, now activated. Red six seven. Thank you!" _

Sprinting across the room, the Doctor caught the attention of Martha and Jack. "Come on," he said, and they darted after him towards a group of people who had already gathered around an elderly man, holding a large red ticket above his head.

"Red six seven, departing shortly!"

The doctor pulled out his psychic paper and flashed the man a glimpse. "Red six seven plus -"

But just then, before he even knew what was happening, the Doctor keeled over, gasping for air.

* * *

He blinked and found himself suddenly standing on the cold, moist sand of Bad Wolf Bay; only this time, Rose Tyler was already waiting.

"Hi," she smiled.

"Rose!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Four**

The Doctor stood rooted to the spot; unable to take his eyes off her face, he was speechless.

Rose Tyler had hardly changed at all, yet in so many ways she was a completely different person, one that seemed almost alien to him. Yet she was still _his _Rose. He could see it in her eyes. They were sparkling with pure delight and her smile was utterly mesmerizing.

"Rose," said the Doctor faintly, taking a step towards her. He reached out a hand to gently stroke her face, but was stunned to see her take a step back, away from him.

"No touch," she explained quickly, "you're still just an image, and if you touch me you'll break the connection!"

The Doctor was clearly at a loss for words. He was longing to touch her; he desired it more than anything else. He wanted to wrap his arms around her tightly and never ever let go.

"We haven't figured out a way to pull you across properly yet," Rose continued, sheepishly.

"But how did you even get me here?" questioned the Doctor, his eyes fixated on her, "this must've taken colossal energy! You should be dead! We should all be dead!"

At these words, and to the Doctor's sheer amazement, Rose burst into a fit of laugher. Here was the man who was going to save her all over again: the Doctor, _her_ Doctor; the man she had so painfully lost and was determined to find. Here he was at last, stood before her, not even a day older, in all his seriousness. She laughed harder as she knew; deep down, that everything was going to be ok now.

"Sorry," she said after a moment, "but _your_ face!"

And suddenly it was as if the Doctor had got the joke, for he began to laugh as well, chuckling exuberantly.

They stood for what seemed like an eternity, laughing long and hard, ecstatic that they had finally been reunited at long last on the one place they least expected: Bad Wolf Bay.

* * *

Jack Harkness quickly hoisted the Doctor's lifeless form onto his shoulders.

"I say, is he alright?" asked the elderly man bearing the red ticket, "somebody get the young fellow a glass of water!"

"That won't be necessary!" said Jack under the strain of the Doctor's weight.

"Everybody, it's ok, I'm a Doctor," said Martha Jones, assuredly, "everything's going to be fine!" She quickly turned on her heels and ran after Jack, who had already taken it upon himself to carry the fallen Time Lord back to the Tardis.

All of the ships passengers, including the waiters and crewmembers, were gazing after them, muttering amongst themselves in suspicious undertones. Yet once they had escaped the prying eyes of the guests, Jack carefully lay the Doctor down so that Martha could check that his hearts were still pumping. "They're faint, but both seem to be working."

"Great," said Jack, wiping his brow. "I take it this is exactly the way it happened before?"

Martha nodded. "Any ideas?"

" None."

* * *

Walking together along the shore, the Doctor and Rose were completely oblivious to the world. All that mattered was that they had each other, for however brief a period.

"Mum had a baby boy, Tony. And Mickey's head of electronics now: he can do _anything_ with a computer! You should see him; he's really changed, doesn't need me anymore."

The Doctor was listening eagerly to Rose's story as she filled him in on everything he had missed out on. She had been working for Torchwood ever since her time travelling the stars with him had come to such an abrupt end. Her father, Pete Tyler, was head of the entire organisation, and Rose herself, had been feverishly working on a top-secret project for the past year or so.

"Basically we've been building this, um, travel machine, this dimension calendar so that, well, so that I could find you!" Rose smiled bashfully, the Doctor simply beamed at her. "It took us ages to get it to work," she continued, "and even then I could only jump between other parallel worlds 'cause of the walls being sealed off… it wouldn't register the Earth at all. But then something started happening," said Rose in a more serious tone, "it was like the walls between worlds were being ripped apart! Travelling for us was getting easier, but things were getting worse."

"Rose, what's happened?" asked the Doctor, coming to a standstill. He could tell that there was something seriously wrong, just from the look in her eyes.

"The darkness is coming… and nothing can stop it, except you."

"What'd you mean? What darkness?"

"The stars are starting to go out, one by one, all across the universe. It's coming Doctor, the darkness is coming!"


End file.
